Young people, the new generation, have the ability, the dreams and the passion to turn climate change around. How do parents and teachers assist in teaching them a love for the planet and all its wonders? Eco-friendly habits benefit us all, man and beast, as we take care of the Earth. Here are some great ideas to go green and keep it interesting.
Spend more time in nature together
This simple trick will teach your children respect for outdoors. Africa and South Africa’s unique environment offers a wealth of trails to choose from. Whether you head to the local park or a nature reserve, it is an easy and healthy way to teach, have fun and get exercise. It is easy to find many beautiful moments in the outdoors.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
In some communities this is simply part of a lifestyle. While some communities allow co-mingling (which means that all recyclables can be placed in one container), others prefer sorting into containers separated for plastic, glass, paper, and cans. Kids are easily taught to sort items and place them in the correct bins. It is however, a good idea to keep an eye on these activities as kids can get up to mischief without realising the dangers involved.
After the bins have been emptied, ask your kids to rinse them out and bring them back into the house or garage – they will quickly develop this useful habit for their future.
DIY
Adopt DIY projects to involve recycling or reusing things such as cardboard boxes, toilet rolls, plastic and glass bottles, etc. It won’t take a lot of your time. You will find many ideas on the web while these would probably be the funniest way to keep kids busy at the same time showing them that not everything should be put in the trash right after its use quite frequently, there’s a way to reuse something before throwing it out.
Compost
Despite composting sounding so scary to many families, there’s actually nothing complicated about adopting this rule into your household. Not only is composting great for the environment, but it’s also a wonderful way to teach children about what is garbage versus what can be re-used. Another great idea would be to make lower water usage at your home your family’s rule of thumb and to use, “gray” water such as water without detergents in, to water the garden or even a veggie patch.
Teach and encourage children to use environmentally friendly means of transport
As a family, try to choose a mode of transportation with the least amount of damage to the environment whenever possible. Further recommendations on this point would also include taking public electric buses, riding their bikes or even as a family, take up walking instead of driving. Of course, this should be in safe areas, always. This will also benefit your child’s attitudes in the future and simultaneously teach them to make safety a priority. All this will lead to a healthy and physically fit grown-up, with a healthy body and mind and you’ll save money usually spent on fuel.
Do gardening or plant a veggie patch
Growing things oneself is a worthwhile, healthy and quite a spiritual and rewarding enterprise.
Even the best pre-schools cannot keep your child engaged all year round. During the crucial summer months, kids need responsible activities to assist their continual development and environmental consciousness. Help your child flourish by growing together. Whether it is a home garden or a new tree in the yard, you can teach the importance of purposeful cultivation early while building an understanding of fundamental life sciences, such as plant biology and ecology, giving your young one a head start when school starts.
Take part in community efforts and projects
Involving your family, as well as other parents in your neighbourhood, into go-green activities would be another great idea to give the uprising generation an idea of eco-friendly society. Your kids’ brains will assimilate information faster, especially during fun activities. For instance, you can manage gardening exercises that would involve bringing your children together and teach them about the importance of eco-friendly living.
